How to Sell Goods Online

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In recent times, you might have seen more people making money as they sell products from the comfort of their own home. If you’re wondering how you can get started, there are actually several options and therefore considerations you need to make. Although there’s certainly an opportunity for you to make money in this way, you need to think carefully about a business plan otherwise it could soon all collapse around you.

Today, we’re going to show you the key considerations while teaching the options of how to sell goods online. Regardless of whether you have products ready, whether you want to set up your own website, or whether you have any business experience at all, we’re going to address everything you need to know.

Do You Have Goods to Sell?

In truth, this is likely to be the most important question of all and it splits our guide into two. If you’ve already got a product in mind or perhaps you’re going to make the products yourself, we have some superb advice coming up a little later. First, however, we’re going to investigate your business if you’ve had the idea of selling goods without seeing your options too clearly.

No, I Don’t Have Goods – If you don’t have any ideas of what to bring to the market or perhaps you haven’t got the budget in place to develop a product, this isn’t a problem because there are still options for you. For example, the first, and longest, solution would be to start your own website. As you build visitors in your particular niche, you can start contacting companies to see if they’re interested in advertising on your site.

As the relationship develops, the process can be quickened with affiliate marketing programs. In case you didn’t know, these programs allow you to advertise on behalf of your partner company. Whenever one of your visitors clicks through and purchases from the company, you earn money.

Alternatively, dropshipping (What is a dropshipping business?) is quickly gaining attention and it’s not hard to see why. When selling products, what’s the biggest issue? Typically, it’ll be the stocking of products and trying to find space for them in the front room. Over time, as the business grows, space becomes rare and you might have to invest in a storage unit or even a factory just to keep all your products somewhere. Furthermore, you also need to consider the pain of going to the post office every other day to get orders shipped.

With dropshipping, you have a solution to both these problems. After teaming up with a manufacturer, you build an online store and sell the products but the manufacturer stores and ships them whenever necessary. With this in mind, you don’t need to find the space nor do you need to worry about shipping to customers. Instead, you take control of marketing and selling while receiving an agreed percentage of each sale.

When looking at how to sell goods online, these are great solutions if you don’t have products in mind.

Yes, I Do Have Goods – If you know exactly what you want to sell, there are now some superb websites that’ll help you to get started. To begin, we’re going to suggest going it alone by creating your own website and online store. Ultimately, there are benefits and drawbacks to this solution because you get to keep 100% of each sale but it’s much harder to attract attention towards your website. Although it’ll take much longer and there’s no guarantee of success, it’s certainly the more rewarding option and it has the potential to really take off if your products are good enough.

For most, the idea of starting everything from scratch seems like a distant dream and one that’s wholly impossible. If you’re looking for success in a faster time, we’ve got some suggestions that might just help with this.

Shopify – First and foremost, Shopify is an e-commerce platform for those who have goods to sell but need an audience to utilize. For a simple fee, Shopify provides you with a head start compared to going it alone. With some fantastic tools to build a stunning online store, you can benefit from staff accounts, unlimited product opportunities, support, manual order creation, discount codes, gift cards, professional reports, and even a website and blog.

If you aren’t clued up on the internet and how to get a website up and running, Shopify is a great place to start. With some of the additional features, there are also options to sell on social media, receive reports on abandoned carts, and advice on how to push your business forward. Considering you’re getting an eCommerce platform and the help you need to succeed, this is a brilliant option.  Check out the review What is Shopify about?

FBA – When shopping on Amazon, have you ever seen the ‘Fulfillment by Amazon’ shipping option for products? Although most of us have, we don’t know what it means but, as a seller, it could be very important for you. Essentially, it’s very similar to dropshipping in that Amazon will store the products while sending them off whenever orders are placed. The difference, however, comes in the fact the products are yours.

In terms of advantages, people are more likely to trust your name on Amazon if you have the ‘Fulfillment by Amazon’ tag because it adds extra protection if they need to send the item back or receive some form of support. For you, it also means you can benefit from the sensational facilities at Amazon. As long as you can get the stock to them frequently, Amazon will take care of the rest; let’s not forget the millions of people who use Amazon too.

eBay – Although a classic, eBay is the traditional answer to the question of how to sell goods online. Every day, millions of people search the many listings and thousands of sellers have found success as a result. In the beginning, you’ll need to take your time in creating the listings so your product shows towards the top of search results but it’s well worth it.

As with Amazon, eBay offers lots of features for sellers and it starts with a good selling page. Along with details about your company, you can include shipping details, order details, information regarding refunds and other policies, etc. When placing the product on the market, you’ll also receive advice which can be helpful if you’ve never used the service before. Unfortunately, you’ll have to take care of storage and shipping so this is the major drawback to eBay. 

Etsy – Finally, although there are several other suggestions we could provide, and you’ll find them with a simple Google search of ‘how to sell goods online’, we’re going to finish with Etsy. Designed for the creative types among us, 29 million buyers are waiting to see your homemade products. Compared to other options, the listing fees are small, there are no monthly fees, you can enjoy seller protection, and many other features are available to make life easier.

Conclusion

All things considered, there are many different options if you want to sell goods online and it all comes down to whether you have goods, want to store items, are happy to ship products yourself, or need help. Once you answer these questions, you can devise a proper business plan and, assuming you’re determined to make it work, you’re only a short way from success!

I hope you enjoyed this post and if you have any questions about how to sell good online or want to leave your own personal experience, leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!

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